And The Return of The King
by TheLonelyMan
Summary: Morgan Le Fay has set her final plan in motion: resurrect the greatest enemy of Arthur and finish what he started 1,000 years ago. Jenkins finds himself on the front lines, while Eve and the Librarians must learn what Morgan's connection to the Serpent Brotherhood is.
1. Chapter 1

It was a quiet day at the Annex. Jenkins was going about his usual rounds, making sure that everything was spick and span and that nothing was out of place. He was the caretaker, after all, and if Judson had enough faith to put him in charge of the most important branch of the Library, then he was going to prove that he deserved it.

But something had been bothering him lately. That woman, Lucinda McCabe...no, Morgan Le Fay. The one who had betrayed Arthur and brought down Camelot, plunging humanity into an age of darkness and anarchy. If only he had stopped her all those years ago, when he was still an honorable Knight of the Round Table, then he would have never become immortal. No, he, and his comrades, would have ended their days as fine lords, feasting, hunting, and maintaining the legacy of the great kingdom they had once served.

The sound of the Door opening snapped him out of his dream. A bright, blue light and a whoosh of wind blew through the Annex as familiar voices were heard.

"Jones, you idiot!"

"It's not my fault they suck at poker!"

"Maybe if you weren't cheating half the time..."

"Technically, he only had a 15% chance of being caught..."

"Not now, Cassandra! Do we still have the artifact?"

Colonel Eve Baird, the trusted Guardian of the Library, unwrapped a small bundle that Cassandra had tucked under her arm. Inside was the Library's latest acquisition, the Eye of Graeae.

"Excellent job, Colonel."

"Jenkins, the next time you send us to steal something from three old witches in a dingy gambling parlor in Tampa, maybe give us a little heads-up. You know, the responsible thing to do?"

"Colonel, I have complete confidence in your abilities. You don't need me to tell you what to do."

"This isn't about your confidence, it's about..."

Suddenly, the Clippings Book began to thrash around violently. Jenkins managed to pin it down before it flew off and checked the newest page.

"There's been an incident in northern Maine."

"Says here that several people have been injured by "unexplained circumstances". Sounds like magic to me."

"Does the Library have any records on magic users in Maine?"

"No, Colonel, because there aren't any. Whoever's behind this is powerful, and until we know more, there's no telling who or what they could be."

"Stone, Cassandra, Jones, we're heading to Maine."

"Actually, I think I'll just stay here..."

"Not gonna happen, Jones." Baird grabbed his arm as the team ran through the Door.


	2. Chapter 2

Arriving in Maine, the team made their way to a small village called Cam's Lake, even though Stone himself didn't remember such a town existing in all his years of studying maps.

"I'll telling you, I don't know what this place is or why the Door sent us here."

Baird pulled out her phone. "Jenkins, is there any record of a town called "Cam's Lake" in Maine? Maybe it's another one of those villages that's trapped between dimensions?"

"I'm afraid there's no record of any such town, in either official or unofficial records. I suggest you investigate further. It's possible that this "town" is an illusion created by whoever responsible for our sudden outbreak of magic."

Jones started wandering off. "I need a drink. If this place isn't real, there at least better be a good pub around."

Cassandra followed him. "I'll see if I can find any symbols or traces that would signify a supernatural presence in the surrounding area."

"You do that. Stone, you and I are going to look for anyone who can help us."

Unbeknownst to the group, a deer was watching them from the nearby woods with a curious glance in its eye. As soon as they were out of sight, it began to change shape. Before long, the "deer" was a small woman wearing a old green dress and a cloak of deerskin. Her red hair blew in the wind. She smiled, thinking of what this little hamlet of her's had in store for these trespassers. And before long, she would finally have her revenge on the Library...


	3. Chapter 3

To Jones's great displeasure, there was only one pub in town, a small, decomposing shack with a sign reading _G'Wain's_ above the door. The buildings surrounding it were all in dire need of new paint and wood. Most didn't even have signs of their own.

Gripping the iron latch in his hand, Jones, followed closely by Cassandra, opened the heavy wooden door and entered the pub. To their surprise, it was clean and smelled of freshener, and the furnishings gave it the appearance of a tacky, discount Medieval Times.

A tall man wearing a green tank-top, jeans covered in green paint, and green-and-black sneakers was waiting for them at the counter. "Welcome, friends! Are you in need of refreshment?"

"You're speaking my language, mate. I'll have your finest beer and some nachos."

"I'm afraid we have no such things as that here, friend. I do have some other nibblets if you so desire them."

"Well then, I'll just take the beer."

"I'll have some water."

"Very well. Find yourselves some chairs."

Jones and Cassandra found a small booth with, oddly enough, seats carved from a large block of stone. Jones ran his finger across the wooden table surface. "There's no way this isn't more than 200 years old. The varnish, the texture...where that old guy find something like this?"

"You know you sound like Stone now, right?"

Suddenly, the man appeared out of nowhere holding a tray in his hands. "Here are your drinks, friends."

"Thanks, mate. Mind if I ask where you got this table? And these, um, seats?"

"I assure you, they were here when I paid for this fine establishment. As such, I know not where they came from. But let's not talk of such matters. Would you like to participate in my special challenge?"

"What challenge?"

"If you can land a single blow on me, I'll give you as much beer as you want, free of charge."

"What's the catch?"

"Smart one, you are. Once you strike me, you must agree to let me strike you the next day, a year from now."

"Ezekiel, I don't think you should-"

"Relax, Cassandra. We'll be out of this town long before then."

Winding up his best arm, Jones gave the man a good right hook to the jaw. A sickening crack could be heard as his fist made contact. The man's head immediately turned to face him, as though a gust of wind had blown across his face. His jaw was already swelling up, but his next words couldn't be more clear: "A fine blow, friend. I'll return with more beer. Remember our deal. You must let me strike you the next day, a year from now."

As soon as he left, Jones, a dumbfounded look of horror on his face, sat down. "That bloke took it like a bloody bee sting! Cassandra, we need to leave now. Something not's right with this town."

She nodded her head in agreement. The two took care to slip out of the bar as quietly as possible, the door closing softly behind them.


	4. Chapter 4

Baird and Stone had been walking for over an hour through what felt like endless miles of woods and forests. There seemed to be no one who could help them, nor, for that matter, any animal or living thing around.

"Maybe we should go find Jones and Cassandra. There's no one out here."

"We can go back as soon as you figure out where we are, Mr. I-know-which-way-to-go-because-I-said-so."

"You know, you're free to help me whenever you want, Baird. I bet even you have no idea where we are."

"Okay fine, I don't. We should call Jenkins."

Just then, they heard a cry of "Help, please help me!" A woman, dressed in a grey sweater and long skirt, came running up to them. She had a face wrinkled with worry and a shade of light grey in her hair, which was tied off in the back against her neck. "Oh, will you please help me find my son?"

"Relax, ma'am. What's his name? Can you describe what he looks like?"

"Well, he's only ten. And his name's Tom. Oh, and he's short!"

"How short?"

"Well.." She held up a finger. "About as tall as this."

Stone laughed. "A boy as small as a finger? Let me guess, his name's Tom Thumb."

The woman didn't look like she got the joke.

"Wait, your son really IS Tom Thumb?! That's impossible..."

"It's the truth, God willing. My poor Tom, he vanished just as I was making puddings."

"Did you give one away?"

"Why, yes I did. To a man who came by asking for food. I just couldn't turn him away, you know."

"Go find him. Your son's in the pudding you gave him."

"Oh my Lord! Thank you, kind sir."

And with that, she ran off down the path.

Baird turned to him. "You mind telling me what that was all about?"

"Later. We need to find Jones and Cassandra right now."


	5. Chapter 5

The two teams met near the center of town, just as night was beginning to fall. Fortunately, Baird was able to contact Jenkins, and the Door to the Annex was opened. Once safely inside, the shouting started.

"Jenkins, that town's a bloody nightmare! Some green guy dared me to punch him, and he just shook it off like it was nothing!"

"You think that's weird? We met a lady whose son is Tom Thumb. I'm not joking."

Jenkins raised his hands to silence them. "A green man and Tom Thumb? Not to mention a strange village that appeared out of nowhere and that seems to be surrounded by an endless forest? I think I may have the answer."

Baird cocked her eyebrow. "Mind sharing it with us then, Jenkins?"

"Mr. Jones, the green man you punched, did he tell you that he would return the blow in exactly a year and a day?"

"Uh, yeah."

"And Mr. Stone, you're sure that woman was the mother of THE Tom Thumb?"

"Pretty sure, Jenkins."

"Then that explains it."

"Explains what? Will someone please explain what's going on?"

"It's simple, Colonel. You've been transported to Camelot."

"WHAT!"

"Mr. Jenkins, that's impossible. Camelot doesn't exist."

"Oh, but you'd be wrong, Miss Cillian. Camelot did exist, a long, long time ago. It was a time when magic was still openly practiced, and powerful kings used it to secure their rule."

"Like King Arthur?"

"Correct. Now, Camelot was protected by Arthur and his followers, the Knights of the Round Table. They fought many diabolical monsters and magicians during their adventures, and none was more wicked, or more powerful, than Morgan Le Fay."

"Morgan wanted the throne of Camelot for her son Mordred. So she tried to make him immortal through her sorcery. Unfortunately, two of the Knights tricked her into making them immortal, and Mordred ultimately fell in battle against Arthur. Sadly, the damage had been done. With Arthur's death, Camelot was finished. Morgan disappeared and was never seen again. At least, that's what was assumed."

"What happened to Mordred?"

"Supposedly, he was buried and his coffin thrown into the sea. But it's never been found."

"Jenkins, is there any possibility that the coffin could have ended up in Maine?"

"It could be possible, Colonel, assuming that ocean currents carried it from the southern coast of England all the way to North America, and then hid it so well that no one would find it for centuries."

"But what if Morgan's after it? What if this is some cockamamy scheme to resurrect him? Without Arthur, there would nothing to stop him and his mom from taking over the world."

"You may be right after all, Colonel. And if so, we'll need to bring in a specialist. Someone who knows Camelot almost as well as I do."


	6. Chapter 6

Flynn Carsen loved danger. So much so that he leapt an any opportunity to escape the boring confines of the Library for the chance to find some obscure artifact or missing treasure that hadn't been seen in thousands of years. But this time his mission was serious. Ever since the Serpent Brotherhood had breached the sacred confines of the Library, it had been severed from the physical realm. Judson, Charlene, all of the great and powerful things they'd spent centuries gathering...all was lost.

So Flynn had made a vow. That until he found the rest of the Library and restored it, he would not rest. He would search every crook, every nanny, until he found what he needed to bring it back from the brink. And today, he was on the trail of a prospective find, one of the sacred pearls of wisdom from the Eastern Dragons, said to grant whoever held them the power to see all possibilities. Maybe one would show him how to save the Library.

But finding the pearl had proved difficult. In addition to potentially angering the dragons, the pearl was said to be kept in a dark cave filled with traps and pits. Every adventurer who had gone in search of it had perished.

But it didn't matter, not to Flynn. There was no price he wouldn't pay, if it meant he'd get Judson and Charlene back. They were his friends, his mentors, and the only people who believed in him at a time when he didn't. They'd given him a purpose, and now the time had come to pay it back.

After days of carefully studying the cave, learning every mapped route by heart, and running through more scenarios than he would have wanted, he was ready. But just as he put one foot inside the cave, someone appeared behind him.

"Hello, Mr. Carsen. I see you're busy, but the Library needs your help now more than ever."

"Sorry, Jenkins, but I really am kind of busy now. Can this wait until, let me see, next week?"

"I'm afraid it cannot, Mr. Carsen. Morgan Le Fay has returned, and she's bringing back Mordred."

At the mere mention of the name, Flynn froze. Mordred was one of the greatest villains mankind had ever known. His wickedness had single-handedly brought down the great age of Camelot, and his blade had taken the life of the great hero Arthur, who Flynn admired more than anyone else. He was supposed to be dead, in a place where his remains could never be found. And yet his return would be the end of civilization, the apocalypse incarnate. Nothing was more important than preventing his resurrection, Flynn realized.

After a few seconds of careful thought, he turned around and returned to the Library with Jenkins. Many happy voices greeted him.

"Where have you been?"

"You can't keep running off like this, Flynn!"

"Can't you stop being so selfish for once!?"

"What would Judson think if he saw you like this?"

"Everyone stop. Give him the chance to catch his breath."

Flynn took a deep breath and then addressed his friends and colleagues.

"What exactly have you lot been up to these days? Besides needing me to come and clean up your mess?"


	7. Chapter 7

After catching up to everything that had happened before he arrived, Flynn presented the team with his proposal for what they should do next.

"First and foremost, our goal is keeping Morgan from resurrecting Mordred. Now in order to do so, she needs the elixir of life, which Merlin created to save Arthur's life. It was too late then, but chances are the old coot left some of the stuff lying around. So we need to return to town, and find the elixir first."

"Anything else?"

"Well, for the elixir to work, there needs to be a body. So if she hasn't found the coffin by now, and we better pray she hasn't, then we still have the upper hand."

"And if she has found the body?"

"Then we really do need to find the elixir first."

Flynn, Stone, and Ezekiel went through the door back to Cam's Lake, still as deserted and empty as it always had been.

Out of the forest, a tall man approached them with a heavy stick in his hands. Ezekiel recognized his green clothes.

"Uh, Flynn, that guy you said wants to kill me in a year...I think he's changed his mind."

Stone charged the man, but the giant simply pushed him aside with one hand.

"Any ideas, mate?"

"Well, we could always try running..."

The two took off towards the center of the village and hid behind the nearest building. They could hear loud footsteps as their pursuer began checking any possible hiding spot for them.

"You think Stone's alright?"

"Probably. But what we really need to do is-"

Suddenly, they heard a heavy thud. Flynn peaked his head out to check, taking care not to expose his position.

The giant's body lay motionless on the ground, minus its head.

Behind him stood a man, a large sword in hand.

And he was wearing the crest of a knight on his shirt.


End file.
